A HUMAN LECTIN AS AN AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE THERAPEUTIC

SEVERAL BETA-GALACTOSIDE-BINDING PROTEINS (LECTINS) HAVE RECENTLY BEEN PURIFIED AND PARTIALLY SEQUENCED. THESE LECTINS ARE LIKELY TO CONSTITUTE IMMUNOREGULATORY PROTEINS BECAUSE THEY INTERACT WITH PERIPHERAL BLOOD MONONUCLEAR CELLS AND HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO MEDIATE THE IN VIVO SUPPRESSIONOF MYASTHENIA GRAVIS, AN AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE. UNLIKE PLANT LECTINS, THE HUMAN LECTINS HAVE BEEN POORLY CHARACTERIZED DUE TO THEIR LIMITED AVAILABILITY, BUT THEY APPEAR TO HAVE MORE SPECIFIC INTERACTIONS WITH THEIR TARGETS THAN DO PLANT LECTINS. IDEON CORPORATION HAS RECENTLY CLONED, CHARACTERIZED, AND EXPRESSED A HUMAN 14-KDA LECTIN AND HAS BEGUN A STUDY ON ITSIN VIVO AND IN VITRO BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITIES. PHASE I STUDIESWILL BE DIRECTED TOWARD THE PRODUCTION AND PURIFICATION OF THE RECOMBINANT HUMAN 14-KDA LECTIN (IMMUNOLECTIN-1) MADE IN ESCHERICHIA COLI. THE LONG-TERM OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROJECT WILL BE LARGE-SCALE PRODUCTION OF RECOMBINANT IML-I AND ASSESSMENT OF ITS USE ASA THERAPEUTIC IMMUNOMODULATORY AGENT FOR THE PREVENTION AND THERAPEUTIC TREATMENT OF SEVERAL AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES.